Two kinds of tape dispenser are generally known, for two different kinds of tape. One kind of tape is wide tape—typically 6 to 10 cm wide, of the sort which is typically used to seal boxes and cartons, and the like. Many applications of such tape are from automatic machines; however, there are also many hand-held dispensers of the sort which are particularly used in warehouses and stores, for purposes of assembling and/or sealing boxes.
The other kind of adhesive tape which is in very wide usage, and for which the present invention is particularly intended, is that which is used for household or office purposes. Typically, such tape ranges from 1 to 2 cm in width, and may have varying degrees of tackiness depending on whether the tape is intended for permanent use or temporary use. Some such tapes may have a high gloss, others may have a low gloss such that they may be written on and are essentially invisible to imaging equipment such as photocopiers and facsimile machines.
For purposes of the present invention, such adhesive tape is referred to herein as “household tape”. Household tape is generally sold and available in two formats: in rolls that are typically sold in boxes, for the purpose of being placed in a dispenser; and already installed in a dispenser. Dispensers, particularly of the hand-held variety, are generally formed of a moulded plastics material, and may or may not be capable of being disassembled for purposes of installing a new roll of adhesive tape therein. It is that kind of hand-held dispenser which is particularly the subject matter of the present invention.
Even such dispensers as are described immediately above may have metal cutters, although generally they are formed with an integral plastic cutter. Metal cutters are more likely to be found, however, on desktop dispensers which are generally very heavy, and into which a roll of household adhesive tape is placed to be dispensed therefrom. Also, metal cutters may be found on older tape dispensers from before 1990 or so.
Of course, any tape dispenser which has a metal cutter generally is such that it has a superior ability to cut tape due to the cutter's sharper and thinner construction; but such tape dispensers are more expensive to manufacture. Even if it were possible to provide plastic cutters which have significant sharpness, they become dull in use, and present somewhat of a danger-especially to the fingers of young children who might well be using household adhesive tape in their play, or for a school project or the like.
Plastic cutters may also accumulate shreds of adhesive tape or particles of adhesive, over time, and become somewhat clogged as a result. On the other hand, it has been discovered that if a plastic cutter—especially one which is molded integrally with the structure of the tape dispenser—is wider than the adhesive tape by at least about 25%, then after the adhesive tape has been unreeled it is possible to achieve a satisfactory cutting effect.
Of even greater concern in most instances is the fact that hand-held adhesive tape dispensers tend to overrun when the tape is being dispensed by pulling on the outer end thereof and unreeling the tape from the roll mounted on a hub within the tape dispenser. Still further, because of the somewhat loose condition of the free end of the tape between where it has left the roll and the cutter, and due particularly as well to the general dullness of plastic cutters, obtaining a clean cut of a particular desired length of tape may be difficult. Quite often, considerable manual dexterity is required, with some experimentation as to aligning the length of the tape which is to be cut from the roll at a particular angle either diagonally or vertically with respect to the cutter.
It has been observed that such difficulties, particularly when the adhesive tape is to be cut, can be overcome by applying some kind of braking action to the unreeled portion of adhesive tape—generally by pressing down with a finger on the tape just behind the cutting edge of the cutter on the dispenser. Even that arrangement is unsatisfactory, requiring considerable manual dexterity, and patience. On the other hand, a braking action applied to the roll of tape, and particularly to the hub on which the adhesive tape has been spirally wound, will achieve the desired braking effect on the tape as it is being cut, thereby permitting an easier cut. Still further, applying minimal braking action on the hub, while at the same time unreeling adhesive tape from the hub, can result in a very specific length of tape being unreeled and cut, if necessary.
Another manner of applying a braking action is to have a brake element which may selectively be applied against the circumference of the roll of tape. However, because the diameter of the roll of tape decreases as tape is unreeled therefrom, a considerable amount of travel is required for the braking element, especially when the last portions of the adhesive tape are being unreeled from the roll and off the hub on which they have been spirally wound.
It is possible to provide an adhesive tape dispenser for household adhesive tapes where one or both sides of the dispenser has certain flexibility, whereby a braking action can be applied against one or both sides of a roll of tape, or against one or both ends of the hub on which the tape has been spirally wound. Moreover, as a roll of tape is unreeled its diameter becomes smaller, and therefore the side surface of the roll of tape becomes smaller and a braking action against the side of the roll of tape may become less effective. Still further, depending on the conditions in which the tape has been made, spirally wound on the hub, and stored, it is possible that a deposit of adhesive might develop on the inside surface of the side of the tape dispenser if the side has been intermittently pressed against the side surface of the roll of tape, and that condition might cause considerable difficulty in smoothly unreeling adhesive tape away from the roll.
A co-pending application, Ser. No. 09/741,854, filed Dec. 22, 2000, teaches a tape dispenser which has at least one brake spoke extending from the inside surface of a side member, and radially extending and spaced away from a cylindrical axle of the tape dispenser. At least the first side member of that dispenser is flexible in the region of the first major side portion thereof, so that when the side member is flexed towards the second side member, the brake spoke extends into the annular void on the side of the cylindrical hub on which adhesive tape has been spirally wound. This causes frictional engagement between the brake spoke and at least one of the inner and outer cylindrical walls of the hub, and thereby imparts a braking effect to the hub so as to preclude unreeling of the spirally wound adhesive tape from the hub.
The present invention provides a further approach to the problem of applying a braking action to a roll of adhesive tape as it is being unwound from a tape dispenser. The present invention recognizes that interference between the hub on which the adhesive tape is spirally wound, and at least portions of the inside surfaces of the side members from which the tape dispenser is assembled, and or interference of the adhesive tape per se with the inside surfaces of the side members from which the tape dispenser is assembled, provides an effective braking action against the roll of adhesive tape. This braking action is effected by the provision of a flexible side on at least one of the side members, where the material itself of that side member is flexible so as not to require complicated and expensive moulding procedures to effect flexibility of a side member. Rather, at least a major portion of at least one side member is flexible, and the cylindrical axle on which the hub of the roll of adhesive tape is placed, is telescopically joined so that its length will change when the sides of the tape dispenser are pressed, thereby permitting interference between the sides of the tape hub together with the adhesive tape spirally wound thereon, with the inner surfaces of the first major side portions of the first and second side members from which the tape dispenser is assembled.
Accordingly, an inexpensive but effective tape dispenser is provided, whereby a braking effect against the roll of adhesive tape installed in the tape dispenser can be effected simply by squeezing the sides of the hand-held dispenser towards each other, or at least by squeezing one flexible side towards the other side.